Mining Regulatory Clarity Act
The Mining Regulatory Clarity Act amends existing federal mining laws to clarify the fees and regulations surrounding mining claims and mill sites. It creates a new "Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund" in the U.S. Treasury, which will be funded by fees collected from certain mill site claims. These funds are specifically designated to clean up and restore abandoned hardrock mines across the country.
The provisions, in plain language.
Lets the holder of a mining claim set up as many mill sites on federal public land as are reasonably necessary for an approved mining plan, even where the law's existing mill-site limits would otherwise apply, and even on land where the holder already keeps a mining claim.
Caps each single mill site at 5 acres, says a mill site gives the holder no rights to the minerals under it, and bars these mill sites from ever being bought outright (patented) from the government.
States the new mill-site rule does not weaken the government's power to regulate mining or override land protections, leaving in force existing safeguards such as the rules for wilderness, endangered species, historic sites, and land withdrawn or closed to mining.
Creates a dedicated Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund in the U.S. Treasury to hold money for cleaning up old, abandoned hardrock mines.
Routes the yearly claim-maintenance fees that holders pay on these new mill sites into the cleanup fund.
Lets the Secretary of the Interior spend the fund's money directly, without waiting for Congress to approve it each year, but only to run the existing federal abandoned-hardrock-mine cleanup program, with the money split and moved among uses under that program's existing rules.
Who it helps · who it burdens.
Who it helps
- hardrock mining operatorsMining-claim holders gain the ability to locate as many mill sites as are reasonably necessary for an approved plan of operations, including on land where they already hold a mining claim, removing the prior numeric limit on mill sites.
- communities near abandoned hardrock minesA dedicated Treasury fund is created and the Secretary may spend it without yearly appropriations to carry out the existing abandoned-hardrock-mine cleanup program.
Who it burdens
- Department of the InteriorThe Secretary of the Interior is tasked with administering the new fund and its expenditures and continues to regulate the expanded mill-site activity under existing law.
Who backs it
- mill-site claim holdersThe yearly claim-maintenance fees these holders already pay on the new mill sites are redirected into the Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund to pay for cleanup.